#tropidonophis mairii

[blubushie]

"A PICNIC TABLE?" DUDE please like just look at it and blur your eyes a bit maybe you'll see or maybe youre too used to what is ACTUALLY in the picture 😭 i really went and sentenced myself to public blast for that

retaliation! before i go to sleep I will bombard you with all random questions that come to me in this ask

what's your preferred time of day and why? most reliable water sources? how do you usually deal with most common threats you encounter in the bush? which kind of snake would you call the least dangerous? if you could forever abolish one animal from existence, which would it be, if any? best fish? worst fish?

thank you (for reading, answering, remaining fascinated and being my curious ass' main source of giddy leg wiggle during the day)

- most annoyingly, 🧀 anon <3 💥💥💥

Thank you for asking, cheeseanon!!! I really enjoy these. I normally live out in the bush and even in California I live in a rural area so I don't have many neighbours (and those that do know me as that Weird Aussie Bloke that disappeared for 3 years).

What's your preferred time of day and why?

Night! Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night. I absolutely love the stars. My second-favourite time of day is dawn when the kookaburras wake up.

Most reliable water sources?

There's no reliable water sources in the Outback. I collect my water from rain tarps (which I can drink straight) and clear streambeds (which I have to boil before drinking). I have one canteen specifically for collecting water and another for carrying purified water when I'm travelling. Sometimes soakage from native wells is the only way of obtaining water but I've only had to do this a few times.

How do you usually deal with common threats out in the bush?

Staying in Matilda/under shelter during the hottest parts of the day, since the environment itself is the greatest threat in the Outback. As far as living threats go, it usually involves screaming. I've run my voice hoarse through shouting at dingos because they very much hate noise and are generally skittish around people. When necessary I might fire a warning shot into the dirt to make them keep their distance and this usually works. I've only ever had one actually bite me, and that was a lone female with pups (judging by the condition of her teats) who wanted my food. We tussled on the ground for a bit with her teeth locked around my ankle (thank Christ for my leather boots), I cut her foreleg with my knife, and she scurried off. She came back an hour later and decided I was still worth the risk of being killed over, so I took a potshot between her legs to make her keep her distance and chucked her the back half of a rabbit which she scurried off with. Normally I wouldn't recommend feeding the wildlife since it can make them dependent on people which puts people and the animal in danger, but we were in an area with very few humans so it's unlikely she'd ever encounter one again. To her I was a big prey animal and worth the risk to feed her pups. Mutual respect between us and she learned her lesson I reckon.

On the downside, I needed a new pair of jeans because her teeth ripped right through the hem.

What kind of snake would you consider the least dangerous?

The dead kind. That's a joke. Please don't kill snakes, they're really neat and are much more afraid of you than you are of them. Additionally you're much more likely to get bit trying to kill or move a snake than you are just letting him go on his way. I'd reckon that any small nonvenomous snake isn't dangerous. Typically anything in Colubridae is safe. Small, non-dangerous species include:

Green tree snake, Dendrelaphis punctulatus

Common keelback, Tropidonophis mairii

Green tree python, Morelia viridis (they're arseholes though)

Brahminy blind snake, Indotyphlops braminus (invasive)

Woma python, Aspidites ramsayi

Northern green tree snake, Dendrelaphis calligaster

Elephant trunk snake, Acrochordus arafurae (these guys are really neat!)

Pygmy python, Antaresia perthensis

Crab-eating snake, Fordonia leucobalia

Marine file snake, Acrochordus granulatus (really neat)

Bockadam, Cerberus australis

Rough-scaled python, Morelia carinata

Papuan spotted python, Antaresia papuensis

Every blind snake in the genus Anilios

Australia has ~140 species of land snakes and ~30 species of sea snakes. Basically all our sea snakes are highly venomous and can kill you. Of our land snakes, ~100 are venomous. That means roughly 75% of Australian snakes are venomous. That said, the majority of these have venom so insignificant that it can't harm people. Most people won't even realise they've been bitten. So why didn't I count the "harmless" venomous species? People can have allergies! What might bite me and not have any effect could bite you and give you a fatal arrhythmia if you're allergic to the venom. Assume all snakes are dangerous and give them all a wide berth unless you can 100% confirm that they won't harm you. EVERY SNAKE IS THE FUCK AROUND AND FIND OUT VARIETY.

If you could abolish any animal from existence, what would it be?

Mozzies. I fucking hate mozzies with a burning passion. They gave my dad malaria twice and nearly killed him the second time. Additionally I'm type O (universal donor) which, just so happens, mozzies fucking love. I get SWARMED. I'm constantly covering myself, my clothes, and Misty in permethrin just to keep ticks off us (and this comes from somebody who fucking hates synthetic chemicals). I don't need to deal with mozzies too.

From an ecological standpoint, FUCKING CARP. I HATE CARP SO GODDAMN MUCH. YOU THINK CANE TOADS ARE BAD? NO! WELL THEY ARE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT'S FUCKING WORSE? CARP. THEY HAVE RUINED THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN AND ITS WATERWAYS. WE HAVE LOST 90% OF OUR NATIVE SPECIES' TERRITORY TO INVASIVE FUCKING CARP. IMAGINE THAT. THE SANCTITY OF AUSTRALIA, OUR AMAZING MURRAY COD, LOST TO FUCKING GOLDFISH. I HATE CARP WITH A BURNING FUCKING PASSION OH MY GOD DON'T EVEN GET ME FUCKING STARTED--

Best fish?

Barramundi. I fucking love barra. They're delicious, they're incredibly fun to catch, they're absolutely massive so I guarantee you'll not go hungry. I love barra.

Worst fish?

FUCKING CARP.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Tasting the Air

Keelback Snake - Tropidonophis mairii

Daintree Rainforest, Queensland

Photographer: Tess Poyner

[snakeoutbrisbane]

Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii)

A non-venomous but rather cranky keelback aka freshwater snake (Tropidonophis mairii) relocated from some warehouse offices :)

[wolfroutphotography]

Is that a smile or a angry face? This, 60cm, Freshwater Snake or better known as a Keelback Snake (Tropidonophis mairii) is a non- venomous snake that has the characteristics of being olive brown with irregular dark cross-bands and the body scales are strongly keeled, producing ridges that run along the snake’s body. Found in coastal areas of northern Australia from northern New South Wales to the Kimberley, Western Australia. #snake #snakesofinstagram #python #coastal #reptile #reptilesofinstagram #reptile #animalia #DSLRphotography #DSLR #canon #sigma #queensland #thisisqueensland #thisisaustralia #photography #naturephotography (at Alligator Creek - Bowling Green Bay National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5WSZuaHxQ3/?igshid=1rc42eg7aaa9g

[morgancraiksphotography-blog]

Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii) 

[snakeoutbrisbane]

Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii)

Quick rescue callout recently for this little Keelback aka freshwater snake, tangled in some garden netting. Luckily there was only minor scale damage and no lacerations or constriction injuries this time. If you do have netting around the house or on fruit trees, you can minimize the risks of catching snakes by bunching the net up against the trunk, up off the ground where ground dwellers might get caught. Regular net checks will also help get a rescuer out to you ASAP should other creatures, whether bats, birds, pythons, lizards, or other, get tangled up off the ground :)

[morgancraiksphotography-blog]

When the passion for conservation sparked, nothing stood in my way!  A Green Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis Punctulata) & a Keelback (Tropidonophis mairii)

[snakeoutbrisbane]

Keelback/Freshwater Snake (Tripodonophis mairii)

SnakeOut Brisbane Snake Catchers

Probably the most photogenic keelback (Tropidonophis mairii) I've ever caught! This stunning little snake got onto a ground level appartment balcony and gave the family a bit of a fright before hiding behind the air-con unit. They're in fact harmless, mostly defending attack with a foul, musky odour from the cloaca, and occasionally bluffing like they're a venomous beast. This cutie however seemed happy to pose for us down by the local creek, away from the appartments & footpaths, before finding a pile of leaf litter by the buttress roots of a Moreton Bay Fig Tree to hide in :)

[snakeoutbrisbane]

Keelback/Freshwater Snake (Tropidonophis mairii)

SnakeOut Brisbane Snake Catchers

[snakeoutbrisbane]

Snake Out Brisbane Snake Catchers

Keelback/Freshwater Snake (Tropidonophis mairii)